Volvo is mildly refreshing its XC70 and S80 models for 2012, and both will gain Volvo’s latest safety and infotainment features, as well as a new center stack. The biggest upgrades come in the form of Volvo’s Sensus infotainment system. It replaces the current pop-up nav screen in the S80 and XC70 with an integrated screen at the top of the dash, and is now standard in those cars as well as the XC60 and S60. The basic Sensus display is five inches and displays radio and vehicle info, but a $2700 upgrade package enlarges the screen to seven inches, and adds a fancier audio system, navigation, backup and panorama cameras, and DVD player (only while parked, please).

In addition, Volvo recontoured its signature “floating” center stack in both cars, chamfering previously hard corners and rearranging the button layout into a vertical strip similar to that in the S60. The S80 gets a new interior color, Sangiovese Red (seen in the top pic), while the XC70 can now be had with Blond interior surfacing, and both gain new trim inlays and interior lighting. A new, sportier-looking three-spoke steering wheel rounds out the interior enhancements. The exteriors of the XC70 and S80 sport redesigned headlights, LED turn signal indicators built into the side-view mirrors, and new wheel designs.

On the safety front, the S80 and XC70 can now stop themselves! Volvo has fitted its City Safety feature as standard kit to both cars. The system monitors what is in front of the vehicle, automatically applying the brakes if the driver fails to respond to an impending collision. The system is most effective at low speeds at bringing a car to a complete stop, but can also reduce the severity of a collision at speeds up to 19 mph by slowing the car before impact. Other newly available safety tech include: Pedestrian Detection, which functions like City Safety, but is able to distinguish pedestrian figures from obstacles and will halt the car at speeds below 20 mph; and adaptive cruise control that, you guessed it, can bring the car to a complete stop.